Managing your stock end-to-end in Gestbar
This guide covers the whole stock management chain: ordering from a supplier, receiving the delivery, tracking every movement, declaring a loss, doing a physical stock count, and reading the reports that result from it. Each section matches a real screen in your administration area.
The key idea to remember: every change in quantity — a sale, a restock, a receipt, a loss, an inventory discrepancy — goes through the same mechanism and leaves a trace in the movement history. You can never lose track of why a number changed.
Enable tracking on a product
Admin → ProductsStock tracking isn't automatic — enable it product by product. Ideal for drinks, bottles and limited-quantity items; unnecessary for a dish prepared to order.
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Open the product's page
Admin → Products → Edit on the item in question.
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Check "Track stock"
Enter the starting quantity and the alert threshold (the quantity below which you'll be notified).
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Save
The product now shows its real-time quantity in the product list, with a colored badge.
Add a supplier
Admin → Stock → SuppliersOptional but recommended: linking your purchase orders to a supplier lets you track your spending by partner in the reports.
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"+ New supplier"
Top right of the supplier list.
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Enter the contact details
Name, contact person, phone, email, address — all optional except the name.
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Save
The supplier immediately appears in the dropdown list when creating a purchase order.
New supplier
Grossiste Boissons SARL
Create a purchase order
Admin → Stock → Purchase ordersA purchase order lists what you're ordering, from whom, and at what price — before the delivery even arrives.
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"+ New purchase order"
Choose the supplier (or leave "None" for a one-off purchase).
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Add a line per item
Product, quantity ordered, unit cost. Use + Add a line for each additional item.
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Save as draft
The order remains editable as long as it's in Draft status.
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Mark it "ordered"
Once the order has been placed with the supplier, click Mark as ordered — the order becomes locked and ready to receive.
New purchase order
Supplier: Grossiste Boissons SARL
A draft order can be deleted. An ordered order can be cancelled if it was never delivered. A received order is final.
Receive a delivery
Admin → Stock → Purchase orders → ReceiveIt's this step — not creating the order — that actually increases your stock. You confirm what physically arrived, not what was planned.
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Open the ordered purchase order
Click Receive on the purchase order's row.
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Adjust the quantities received
Each line is pre-filled with the quantity ordered — correct it if the delivery is incomplete.
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Confirm
Each product's stock increases immediately, a movement is recorded for each line, and the product becomes available for sale again if it was out of stock.
Confirm the quantities actually received — leave at 0 anything missing.
Quick manual restock
Admin → ProductsFor a one-off adjustment without going through a full purchase order — for example an emergency purchase at the corner market.
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Find the product in the list
Click + Restock next to its quantity.
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Enter the quantity added
The stock is immediately increased and the product becomes available again if it was out of stock.
Declare a loss or breakage
Admin → ProductsA broken bottle, an expired product, a botched prep thrown away — declare it so your stock stays accurate and your reports reflect reality.
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"− Loss" on the product concerned
Same location as the restock button, right next to it.
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Enter the quantity and the reason
The reason is required — it will appear in the history and in the loss report.
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Declare
The stock decreases immediately and the loss is valued in the month's stock report.
View the movement history
Admin → Stock → Stock movementsEvery sale, restock, receipt, loss or inventory discrepancy leaves a line here — with the date, who performed it, and the resulting balance. This is your complete traceability log.
| Movement type | Triggered by | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Sale | A customer order is placed | Decreases |
| Manual restock | "+ Restock" button | Increases |
| Supplier receipt | A purchase order is received | Increases |
| Loss / breakage | "− Loss" button | Decreases |
| Physical stock count | A discrepancy is found during a count | Both |
| Correction | An out-of-stock item is reported from the kitchen/bar | Decreases |
Do a physical stock count
Admin → Stock → Physical stock countsActually count what's in storage and let Gestbar compare it with what the system thinks it has — it's the only reliable way to detect theft, data-entry errors, or breakage that was never declared.
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"+ New stock count"
Gestbar creates a count sheet listing every tracked product, with its current system quantity.
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Count and enter
Each line is pre-filled with the expected quantity — only change what differs from the actual count.
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"Confirm stock count"
Each discrepancy becomes a movement of type Physical stock count, and the product's stock is corrected to match the actual count.
Reading the stock reports
Admin → ReportsA "Stock" section rounds out the sales part of your usual reports, over the same period you choose.
| Indicator | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Stock value | Current quantity × selling price, across all tracked products — a snapshot, not limited to the chosen period. |
| Products low on stock | Number of products currently below their alert threshold or out of stock. |
| Supplier purchases | Total spent on purchase orders received during the period, by supplier. |
| Declared losses | Estimated value of the period's losses/breakage, broken down by product. |
| Movements by type | Breakdown of sales / restocks / receipts / losses / inventory discrepancies over the period. |
A typical week
How these screens fit together in the day-to-day of a restaurant using the full module.
Supplier order
The beer stock is approaching the alert threshold. A purchase order is created with the wholesaler, marked "ordered".
Delivery received
The truck arrives with 2 fewer crates than expected. Receiving with adjusted quantities — the stock goes back up, the discrepancy stays tracked.
Breakage on the floor
A server drops two bottles. Immediate loss declaration with a reason, from the product page.
Normal service
Every sale automatically decreases the stock. Nothing to do — it's the core mechanism running continuously.
End-of-week stock count
Physical count of the storeroom. A slight discrepancy on the mineral water is detected and corrected automatically.
Reading the report
The manager reviews the stock value, total losses and the breakdown of purchases by supplier to adjust their orders.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to enable stock tracking on all my products?
No. Reserve it for limited, countable items (bottles, drinks, packaged products). A dish cooked to order generally doesn't need stock tracking.
What happens when a product reaches zero?
It automatically becomes unavailable to order on the customer side, and an "out of stock" badge appears in the admin area. It becomes available again as soon as a restock, a receipt, or a stock count brings its quantity back above zero.
Can I edit a purchase order after marking it "ordered"?
No — only orders in "Draft" status can be edited or deleted. Once ordered, you can still cancel it if it was never delivered, but you can no longer change its lines.
Can the same product appear in two purchase orders at once?
Yes, without restriction — useful if you order the same item from two different suppliers to compare prices or secure your supply.
Can the kitchen or the bar report an out-of-stock item directly?
Yes — a kitchen or bar team member can mark an item "out of stock" from their preparation screen. The matching product's stock is immediately set to zero and the movement is tracked as a correction.
What's the difference between a manual restock and receiving a purchase order?
A manual restock is a one-off adjustment with no paperwork — handy for a quick fix. Receiving a purchase order is tied to a supplier and a precise cost, and feeds your purchase reports. Use a purchase order as soon as the purchase is significant or recurring.
How often should I do a physical stock count?
There's no rule imposed by Gestbar — many restaurants do it at the end of the week or the end of the month. The shorter the gap between two counts, the easier it is to identify the cause of a difference.